Sweet corn – a niche crop, but with prospects

Kukurydza cukrowa - niszowa uprawa, ale z perspektywami

Weed control in sweet corn can be problematic, but some solutions are commercially available.
Sweet corn grain can be used in processing, but not exclusively.

Still a niche crop

In Poland, sweet corn is rather a niche crop, however, on a global scale, this plant is considered one of the eight most important vegetable crops. A year ago, about 14 thousand hectares of sweet corn were sown in our country. About 3/4 of the production was intended for processing, mainly frozen cobs and canned products. The rest are cobs intended for direct consumption (including boiled, grilled, but also raw).

In the case of harvesting for direct consumption, the harvest date falls on the milk ripeness of the grain, whereas in the case of preserving or processing purposes, the harvest date falls on the late milk ripeness stage.

Extra Cobs on Corn. How Do They Affect Yield?

It is worth taking care of it in advance

However, when it comes to consumption statistics in Poland, we can see a definite reflection of the popularity of this crop. While in the USA, residents consume up to 12 kg of sweet corn per year, in Poland it is only 0.5 kg. In general, a significantly higher popularity of sweet corn is observed on both American continents, however – which is important in the context of sales – the consumption of grain obtained from sweet corn is also increasing in Europe. On the Old Continent, the leaders in terms of sweet corn production are Hungary and France.

What is important, however, is that when planning to sow sweet corn, it is worth taking care of the sale in advance. Especially since this plant should not be stored for too long after harvest. In Polish conditions, it is harvested in conditions when the grain is still relatively moist. Additionally, when grain is stored at a temperature of about 25 C, the grain loses as much as 30% of sugar after only 24 hours.

Few herbicide solutions

Weed control of sweet corn is a problem, which we wrote about before the sowing season. It will be even more difficult next season, because s-metloachlor, which was the basis for many herbicide solutions registered for sweet corn cultivation, is being removed from the market. However, there are herbicide combinations based on mesotrione, dimethenamid-P, pendimethalin, tembotrione, bentazone and terbuthylazine. Nevertheless, only some of the products based on these substances are registered in sweet corn. Research is underway to implement low-sulfuron, among others. It is not easy, however, because sweet corn is less tolerant to herbicides than its much more popular "sister".